Hoshizora
by TFRiD Queen
Summary: How could this possibly be happening...and why did it have to be this way? Warning, spoilers for the end of volume 5.


**A/N: What Sio must be going through, thinking of at the end of volume 5. Warning, heavy spoilers.**

_"Nobunagun! Stop this! Stop this at once!"_

"Uuuuhhhhhhhnnn…" Sounds. She can hear sounds; voices? But, why so hard to understand…

_What is this? A fly trying to stop a dragon…_ A blur of red-blood-white was streaking through the sky, but then—

_"Jack!"_

The mask swivels like some grotesque mannequin, its eyes bloodshot and pulsing wide. For each bullet that fires like hail, she feels the shots as if she's the one being shot at. But for some reason, her voice no longer works; even her mind, usually so sharp and aware, is nothing more than a haze of raw, primal emotions.

_—painhateragejustdestroyeverythingaahbutithurtsithurtsstopitnostoppleasestopstopstopstop—_

_You are persistent, I shall grant you that much…Angel of Crimea._ A sudden lurch and she lumbers forward, tottering because Nobunaga does not know how to control her yet, not well. Limbs torn and re-formed again and again, as if her flesh is now some sort of molten goo that can be shaped at will. "Aagggghhhh…" It's hard to breathe, even harder to speak. Yet she still screams when her arm is torn in half, the pain excruciating even when constant.

_"Sio! Dammit, just stop this! Please!"_

_'Sio. Is that my name…?'_ But there's no more time to think; there are enemies to destroy, and the orders are coming in more strongly from Nobunaga now, orders that tell her how and where to go.

_Below; the enemy draws near, we do not have time to waste! _

And like some sort of drunken Frankenstein, they stumble forward, and she feels that wave of nausea (is it even nausea) as he forces her to form that canon, and then it fires—"_huuurrrkkk_"—while she vomits up blood.

Nothing remains; not the creatures, and definitely not whatever buildings were still left in San Jose. At this rate, the entire city will be razed before sundown…

_"Commander, if we don't stop her soon…there won't be a city left to save!"_

_"The AU ball's not responding…in fact, ball #25 is…entirely offline…"_

_"So…this is what happens when a holder loses control of their e-gene…"_

_"I must admit, this was not a scenario I was expecting when developing the e-genes…"_

It's cold now; she feels the temperature drop as the sun dies, but still she cannot stop. Exhausted or not, she must keep going…because, that's what he says, what he wants…

"Haaanhhh…uugghh…" How much longer can they keep this up? Then again, there doesn't seem to be an end to these monsters…and isn't wiping them out their goal? Blood is dripping down everywhere, each open wound constantly being healed as new ones take their place.

_'It…hurts…'_

The canon head is coming out again and at this point she's so used to the pain that it's not even worth the effort it takes to scream, but—

_—You would dare defy me, mortal?!_ It fires but the small figure scurrying away is suddenly put on the back of some motorbike. "Cyx!" she hears, and again it feels like it should ring a bell…but she can't.

_"Jack, get back here! She'll kill you!"_

_"Fuck off, Gandhi! Sio, Sio it's me! Adam!"_

_'Adam…?'_ This one sends a stronger trigger than most…and for once she recalls a single image, clear as day as snow-white locks brush against her cheek, those emeralds teasing with a joke as she hurriedly tries to wipe up her bloody nose.

"Aahhh…am…" It's no use; it's as if her mouth isn't even her own, her tongue flopping around like a useless appendage. She's very thirsty too, but an engine doesn't need to refuel as humans do. A machine doesn't need rest.

She is, after all, not Sio Ogura anymore.

_"I'm serious Jack, get your ass back here or I'll haul it back for you!"_

_"Newton, just hold off—please! I can get through…I know it!"_

_"Forget it Jack, she needs to be stopped—!"_

_"Goddamnit Geronimo—!"_

_Fool me once, shame on me, but try for twice…_ He's learned to control his own part with surprising speed now, the wrought-iron wings casually deflecting another wave of exploding scales from the EIOs while he swoops down and the woman they called 'Princess' gasps at his sudden appearance.

_Konnichiwa, Princess. _

_"What the—oh shi—!"_

50—75—145%—she must charge the canon now—

_"Jack?!" _

The razor-tipped wings stave off the worst of the blow, but even then they're blown back by the sheer force and near point-blank range. Such a nuisance, this Nightingale… But she can see he's taken damage too, heavy damage in fact; helmet gone, blood streaking down one side of his face while his left arm is a bloody mess as the wings crumble, then disintegrate entirely.

_You have spirit boy, that I can respect. But this is no place for children playing grown-up games…_

_"Get outta here, Geronimo! I'll handle this…"_

_"Don't be a dumbass, you're just rushing into a suicide mission—"_

_"Just go!"_

And then it's just him and her now…or is it even her? At this point, it almost feels like she's just a spectator in this match. The Angel of Crimea versus the Demon Lord…

"Aahhamm…guh, g-go…"

_Silence! I did not give you permission to speak!_ And he removes her left arm and she screams, screams and cries because oh it hurts so much—

_—imsorryimsorrypleasemakeitstopimsorryiwontdoitagainstopstopithurts—_

_"Sio! You fuckin' bastard…let her go!"_

_She is my vessel and I shall do as I please. Children should learn to respect their elders._ In a flash one of the whip-like tendons strikes out and it rips right through what's left of his armor, a bloody lash across his chest and she hears him cry out in pain.

_'N-no…s…top…' _

_Punishment for your sins, boy…_ Another lash and another scream, again and again…he's getting ripped to shreds, and yet he does not back down…

_"N-No…I…won't give up!"_

_Whatever lies she is feeding you boy, they will not work…_

_'Wha…what's going on?'_ Her vision is hazy but becoming clearer…now, while Nobunaga is focusing on him…_ 'A-Adam…wait, no! Ugh…I can't, control my body…?!'_

Suddenly everything seems to come back in a flash—San Francisco then San Jose, the Third Platoon and then a deep, despairing anguish until she felt like her heart was being torn into shreds—and then that commanding voice, like a lure, urging her to just give into her despair…

_'Is this…what I've become?!'_ Some grotesque nightmare—no, not even in her nightmares had she dreamt this, a towering abomination of guts, steel and bullets…

"Aah…aaggghhh!" Her cries reverberate throughout the air, the fragile trappings quivering from her anguish. "N-Nooo…wh-what…am I?!"

"S-Sio…shh, it's…it'll be okay…" He is somehow standing on the various metal edges, gently stroking her face and wiping the tears and blood with trembling fingers. "Shhh, shh Sio…it's me…do you know who I am?"

"A-Adam…" A rush of panic because how was this happening, _why_… "H-help…help me! I don't…I don't know wh-what to, do…!" She chokes on the tears that are threatening to overwhelm her face.

"I know…I know…" Why is his voice shaking…as if something isn't quite right… "It's okay…yeh'll get through this…Sio…"

"I-I'm scared…I'm, _r-really_, scared…"

And he is as scared and uncertain as she's ever seen him, especially with that sigil in his eye… "I know…I'm, pretty scared myself…I…" There are no more words after that, just silence as he cradles her head and strokes her hair. The night sky is still brilliant somehow, despite all the slaughter and chaos that has occurred. Especially the stars, still brilliant as ever…

_'Just like that time…'_

Maybe it's because she's distracted by his soothing actions, or because of all the stars in the sky, or even because Nobunaga is pulling her mind back once again. Whatever the reason, it isn't until she feels the cold steel through her chest, and then…

_"Sio…I'm sorry…"_

She looks up and thinks the starry sky is just the same as she's falling, falling…


End file.
